HI BG. Welcome - I am a newbie from SLR too, and totally agree that the menu system is like something from the Lord of the Rings!! But as has been posted here, (by the 'experts'), you can master it

I thought I was doing okay today. Until I went out and tried to photograph an aircraft in the sky. As soon as I pointed the camera skyward the viewfinder went really dark so I couldnt see anything. Inside the house it was dark when I was pointing toward anything light and got relatively brighter(but still dull) when I pointed at anything dark.
I couldnt work out what it was....started worrying that the camera was defective, then did a reset and everything was back to normal so I can only assume it was a setting I had got wrong, but havent a clue what it was.